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Mid-Florida IFAS Research Facility-Apopka

Upon arrival, we were given a brief introduction to the history of the IFAS facility. During lunch, Dr. Lance Osborne used animated slides to show us a number of pests of concern to horticulture and food crops in Florida. It was interesting seeing video clips of insect activity within a slide presentation (techno!). Our busy day in the field was only half over.

Epcot "The Land"

We rushed over to Disney’s Epcot for a behind-the-scenes tour of "The Land". On our way into Epcot, we stopped for group pictures, and also had state group pictures taken in the park.

Our guides took us through examples of aquiculture (alligators), aeroculture, and hydroponic production of food and ornamental crops using a variety of growing systems. The facility also houses an IPM rearing facility and a tissue-culture lab which produces plants for sale, and partners with USDA to increase stock in Florida endangered plants.

Wednesday’s Speakers

Bob McGovern, University of Florida, started out our morning with a presentation on Florida’s Plant Diagnostic Network, and a brief introduction to UF’s Doctor of Plant Medicine program. Dr. Timothy Schubert, head of DPI’s Plant Pathology Section, spoke to us about the future of plant certification and regulatory plant protection. He used "the continuing evolution of the citrus canker problem in Florida" as an example of the complex challenges facing horticulture and agriculture with regard to insect and disease threats.

Dr. Shabbir Azher Rizvi, DPI, presented on "Detection & Surveillance of Soybean Rust in Florida", and Dr. Ru Nguyen spoke on "Bio-Control Programs in Florida". After lunch, Dean Delgado, USDA, spoke about the SITC program in Florida, and the work they do in tracing importations of illegal agriculture products. Dr. Susan Halbert, DPI, gave a brief presentation on "New Aphids and Psyllids in Florida", and had a great selection of samples for us to observe under microscopes. She was followed by Dr. Greg Hodges, DPI Entomologist, who talked about "Sample Submission & Collection Methods". He emphasized the need for proper care and packing, and timely shipment of different kinds of specimens in order to provide specialists the best opportunity for making a determination. We finished up the day with a surprise tropical fruit tasting. Gwen Myres, DPI Miami, set up a table with many exotic fruits including the familiar Avocado, Mango, Papaya, Star Fruit, and some ripe mini-bananas, and the rest of the table consisted of fruits rarely seen outside of the tropics, such as egg fruit, jackfruit, and annona.

Citrus, citrus

Thursday morning, we loaded up the vans and headed to Winter Haven, in Polk County, home of native Floridian culture and orange groves. We spend the day at the Citrus Arboretum, where Sharon Garrett led us on a tour of their collection of some 250 citrus and citrus-relative varieties, including Buddha’s Hand Citron. The arboretum maintains important genetic lines in support of the citrus industry. We sampled a few early types of fruit, and some of us did a little insect sleuthing on the side. It was fun tasting unfamiliar fruit such as limeberries. As the day warmed up, we headed indoors for a box lunch and speakers. Wayne Clifton started us off with an introduction to tropical fruits and fruit tree grafting. Tom Finn, HIS member from Virginia, reported on a recent plum pox survey (none was found ;-),which was conducted in Virginia.

Jose Diaz spoke to us about certification of Florida citrus for export, based on Florida’s Caribbean Fruit Fly Program, and Barbara Wilder, DPI, showed us the different methods used for fruit fly detection in Florida.

Now, THAT’S a Snail!

Friday morning, we enjoyed a breakfast buffet and a presentation by Fred Zimmerman, PPQ identifier and Malachologist on "The Giant African Snail" and "Recent Introductions of Alien Terrestrial Gastropods Into North America." These are BIG snails. Hungry snails. Fred brought along examples of several species which have been introduced into the United States from other countries. We then settled in for our annual business meeting. States represented were: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, & Tennessee.

Minutes of September 12, 2003 Business Meeting

The business meeting for the Fifth Annual Meeting & In-Service Training of the Horticultural Inspection Society, Southern Chapter, was held on September 12, 2003. President Richard Wingard, AL, called the meeting to order, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hotel Royal Plaza in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

 PRESENT

Sixteen members representing seven states were present: Voting Delegate Ben Meriwether and President Richard Wingard representing the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries; Secretary Beverly Bachus, Treasurer Steve Bostian, Marvin Johnson and Voting Delegate Delbert Wisdom representing the Arkansas State Plant Board; Vice President Stacey Simmons and Voting Delegate Terrence Williams representing the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Voting Delegate J. Brett Laird, Allen T. "Buster" Whittington III representing the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry; Rickey Gregory, Terry Smith, Phillip Wilson and Voting Delegate Frank White, representing the North Carolina Department of Agriculture; Voting Delegate Evangeline Long representing Clemson University and South Carolina; and Voting Delegate and Editor John Rochelle representing the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. States not represented were Georgia, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Texas and Virginia.

 ROLL CALL OF STATES

Secretary Beverly Bachus, AR, conducted the roll call of states. A quorum was declared.

 MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

President Richard Wingard called for corrections or additions to the minutes of the Fourth Annual Meeting and In-Service Training Business Meeting. It was noted that Willey Doughty, AL was not noted in the list of members present. The addition was made. There were no other corrections or additions to the minutes. Tennessee made a motion to accept the minutes. Arkansas seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

 TREASURER’S REPORT

Committee Chairman Evangeline Long, SC, gave the report on behalf of he Audit Committee stating that the committee had reviewed the records of the income and expenses incurred by the Chapter up to the 5^th Annual Meeting & In-Service Training. A copy of the Treasurer’s Report was given to the meeting attendees (see attached). Louisiana made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. North Carolina seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

 OLD BUSINESS

President Richard Wingard gave a report of the Southern Plant Board Meeting in Puerto Rico, that he attended in April 2003. President Wingard noted that the 2004 meeting of the Southern Plant Board would take place in Virginia in April of 2004.

President Wingard asked if there was any more old business to consider. No other old business was addressed.

 NEW BUSINESS

EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT Committee Chairman John Rochelle, TN, discussed plans for the Chapter Inspection Manual and stated that the manual would be in CD-ROM form. Chairman Rochelle stated that the committee expected to complete the first edition of the CD manual by January of 2004.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT Phillip Wilson, NC, gave the report for the Membership Committee. The committee discussed the need for corporate membership into the society and determined that the Chapter Constitution already addressed this need with the Associate Membership.

 RESOLUTION COMMITTEE REPORT

Resolution Number Ten was read by Committee Chairman and Chapter Treasurer Steve Bostian. The resolution concerns Host State Appreciation. A motion was made by South Carolina and was seconded by Arkansas. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

Resolution Number Eleven was read by Allan "Buster" Whittington III, LA. The resolution concerns the employment of a webmaster for the Chapter. The resolution states that no more that 15% of membership dues collected each year shall be used for the website. Discussion was made by Ben Meriwether, AL, John Rochelle, TN, Stacey Simmons, FL and Beverly Bachus, AR regarding the viability of the website and it’s usefulness to the Chapter. Alabama moved to accept the resolution. Louisiana seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

Resolution Number Twelve was read by Allan "Buster" Whittington III, LA. The resolution would set forth an annual amount of one thousand dollars to be donated to the Vice President and his planning committee for the upcoming annual meeting. Discussion was made by Treasurer Steve Bostian and Secretary Beverly Bachus who stated that this was how Southern Plant Board handled their meeting funding. Other discussion on alternate ways to raise funds for the annual meeting was made by President Richard Wingard, AL, Evangeline Long, SC, and John Rochelle, TN. North Carolina made a motion to accept the resolution. Arkansas seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

Resolution Number Thirteen was read by Marvin Johnson, AR. The resolution would require any purchases of logo merchandise for sale to members to be approved by the Executive Committee before the products could be purchased. Louisiana motioned to accept the resolution. The motion was seconded by South Carolina. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

AWARD COMMITTEE REPORT The committee report was given by Chairman and Chapter President Richard Wingard, AL. A copy of the Rules and Regulations for the Tavo Good Spirit Award was distributed to the attendees and is attached. Discussion was held and changes are noted in the attached copy. The Tavo Good Spirit Award would establish a scholarship for members who were unable to establish funding from their home state to attend the Annual Meeting of the Chapter. A motion to accept the scholarship guidelines as changed was made by Alabama. The motion was seconded by South Carolina. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT Chairman Delbert Wisdom, AR, presented the following nominations:

Editor Selection Chairman Wisdom stated that the committee nominated John Rochelle, TN, for the office of Editor. Mr. Rochelle accepted the nomination. President Wingard asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. North Carolina made a motion to elect John Rochelle to the office of Editor. Louisiana seconded the motion. Vote was made by a roll call of the states. Motion carried with Tennessee abstaining from the vote.

Secretary Selection Chairman Wisdom stated that the committee nominated Beverly Bachus, AR, for Secretary. Ms. Bachus accepted the nomination. President Wingard asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. South Carolina motioned to elect Beverly Bachus to the office of Secretary. Florida seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

Vice President Selection Chairman Wisdom stated that the committee recommended Allen T. "Buster" Whittington, III, LA, for the position of Vice President. Mr. Whittington accepted the nomination. President Wingard asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no nominations from the floor. Louisiana made a motion to elect Allen Whittington III to the office of Vice President. Florida seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

President Selection Chairman Wisdom recommended the nomination of Stacey Simmons, FL, for Chapter President. Ms. Simmons accepted the nomination. President Wingard asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. Tennessee and North Carolina made a motion to elect Stacey Simmons to the position of Chapter President. Florida seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

HOST STATE FOR THE 2004 ANNUAL MEETING Allen T. "Buster" Whittington, III, LA, accepted the nomination to host the 2004 Annual Meeting and In-Service Training in Louisiana, with a tentative date of September. Mr. Whittington discussed a tentative location of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

DESIGNATE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SOUTHERN PLANT BOARD MEETING

President Wingard stated that in the past the Chapter President would attend the meeting, and if they could not attend, another member of the Executive Committee who could obtain funding to attend from their state or a current member from the host state (Virginia) would attend the meeting.

 OTHER BUSINESS

President Wingard noted that there had been interest in awarding honorary membership as set forth in the Chapter Constitution to individuals who were worthy of the distinction. A motion was made by Arkansas to award Honorary Membership to Gene Lucius, SC. Mr. Lucius is a Founding Member who was very active in the Chapter until his retirement in the past year. The motion was seconded by North Carolina. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

A motion was made by Tennessee to award honorary membership to Lynn Snodderly, TN. Mr. Snodderly is a Founding Member who was very active in the Chapter, including years of service to the Chapter as Editor and Webmaster. The motion was seconded by Arkansas. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.

A motion was made by Arkansas to award honorary membership to Jeanetta Cooper, OK. Ms. Cooper is a Founding Member and the First Chapter President who held office from the Founding of the Chapter until 2002. The motion was seconded by Florida. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried.  

PASSING OF THE PRESIDENCY

President Wingard passed the gavel to new President Stacey Simmons, FL. 

ADJOURNMENT

President Simmons called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Arkansas made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Louisiana seconded the motion. Vote was taken by a roll call of the states. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:20 p.m.